Mysore Palace

The Mysore Palace was completed in 1911 on the foundations of the old Palace that was destroyed by fire in 1897. It was designed by the well-known architect Henry Irwin. Built in Indo-Saracenic style, the magnificent building has a series of domes and arches with a gold-plated dome at the centre.

Inside, the palace has exquisitely carved doors and stunningly luxurious rooms. The Durbar Hall is richly decorated with ornate ceilings, intricately carved doors, gleaming floors, and frescoes depicting scenes from the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The palace even has its own marriage pavilion - the Kalyana Mantapa. A fabulous art gallery has paintings depicting scenes of the city's famous Dassera processions led by the erstwhile Maharaja.

Today the palace continues to be the residence of the scion of the Mysore royal family, Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wodeyar, who is a Member of Parliament. The rear of the palace houses a private museum. The palace building also houses the office of the State Archeological Department and some temples, some of which are good examples of Dravidian architecture.The palace is illuminated at 7 p.m. every Sunday and on public holidays, and it makes for a magnificent sight.